Randal O'Toole

Fringe Development

O'Toole, Cato Institute Part Ways

Randal O'Toole, who resisted contemporary progressive planning trends by supporting the unfettered expansion of automobile infrastructure and single-family residential development, is no longer employed by the conservative-leaning Cato Institute.

December 27, 2021 - The Antiplanner

Solutions to Fixing the Gas Tax Crisis

The Wall Street Journal published a 10-page energy section with the declining gas tax problem on page 1. Five solutions are offered: taxing the miles, taxing the roads, indexing the gas tax, taxing the oil, and taxing the cars. Each has challenges.

September 18, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal

Congress Fails to Learn From I-35W Bridge Collapse

Five years after the I-35W bridge collapse, Congress has yet to address the failing condition of America's bridges. There is no consensus between the two parties in Congress on how to remedy the situation, unlike the progress shown in Minnesota.

August 5, 2012 - StarTribune (Minneapolis)

Making Room for Public Transit

A report authored by Transportation for America and the American Public Transportation Association suggests that, no less than Social Security and Medicare, retiring baby boomers will have to cope with limited mobility options.

June 18, 2011 - The Antiplanner

The Expense of Tax-Increment Financing

A new report from the Cato Institute says that tax-increment financing (TIFs) costs taxpayers $10 billion a year and the practice is growing by the minute.

May 24, 2011 - The Antiplanner

High-Speed BUS Travels at 150 MPH

Wubbo Ockels, a Dutch physicist and astronaut, has designed and built a prototype high-speed bus as an alternative to high-speed rail. (VIDEO)

April 21, 2011 - The Antiplanner

Superstreets To The Rescue

Randal O'Toole points to a thesis paper that proposes a new approach to traffic flow at major intersections.

January 16, 2011 - The Antiplanner

The Origin Story of Randal O'Toole

The noted "antiplanner" tells the story of how, while riding a train across California, he discovered that transportation policy is driven by corrupt politics—and how he got the girl in the process.

December 31, 2010 - The Antiplanner

Poor Ridership = Poor Efficiency

Randal O'Toole argues that transit will never be energy efficient because ridership is never high enough to warrant the energy expelled.

November 29, 2010 - The Antiplanner

High Density and High Concentrations of Cars

Looking at Census data for urbanized areas and auto ownership, Randal O'Toole argues that denser areas have high rates of auto ownership per square mile, a correlation that is likely to increase congestion.

August 21, 2010 - The Antiplanner

Randal O'Toole vs. the Livable Communities Act

O'Toole asks why, if there is such a demand for high-density, mixed-use housing, that the government needs to subsidize it?

June 18, 2010 - The Antiplanner

Driverless Cars are the Solution, Says Randal O'Toole

Promoting his upcoming book on transportation planning, Randal O'Toole says his central argument is that rail is a dead end and driverless car technologies are the answer to our congestion problems.

November 6, 2009 - The Antiplanner

How Do You Define Success?

When it comes to Houston's light rail, Randal O'Toole says you're doing it wrong. Planners are trumpeting high ridership numbers, but O'Toole says the numbers show an overall decline in Houston's transit ridership.

November 2, 2009 - The Antiplanner

O'Toole Blames Planners for Housing Crisis

In a new report with the Cato Institute, Randal O'Toole takes off the gloves and lays the blame for the housing crisis squarely on urban planners.

October 6, 2009 - The Cato Institute

Randal O'Toole Wants to Abolish the DOT

Barring that, he has some eight proposals for the transportation reauthorization bill, including eliminating long-range transportation planning and clean air mandates.

September 20, 2009 - The Cato Institute

Randal O'Toole: The Man, The Contrarian

In the wake of his appearance on Capitol Hill, The New York Times delves into what makes Randal O'Toole tick.

July 17, 2009 - The New York Times

The Blow-By-Blow at the Senate Banking Committee

The committee convened a hearing on Monday on green investments in public transportation, and Streetsblog got the scoop. It was 4 against 1 as witnesses sided against Randal O'Toole and his anti-transit arguments.

July 8, 2009 - Streetsblog

Taking On O'Toole

Ryan Avent at Streetsblog calls Randal O'Toole's anti-transit arguments "transparently foolish."

June 3, 2009 - Streetsblog

Randal O'Toole asks, Dude, Where's My Driverless Car?

For decades, people have been talking about how driverless cars would make highway traffic a thing of the past. Randal O'Toole asks, where are they?

February 9, 2009 - The Antiplanner

Inside the Mind of the Anti-Planner

Next American City chats with Randal O'Toole -- the "Anti-Planner" -- about the problems of planning and what makes the ideal city.

October 28, 2008 - Next American City

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